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Printed by Cox and Baylis,

75, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields.

4

PREFACE.

THE convenience and gratification of that extensive portion of the British Public, which either at home or abroad is connected with our Indian dominions, have been the objects pursued in the projection and conduct of the ASIATIC JOURNAL.

It was obvious, that while the East-Indies opened to every British reader, and especially to every one immediately interested in its concerns, the widest field of useful and liberal information, there was much which could only be explored and detailed in a work expressly devoted to those objects.

To be a faithful register of Indian Occurrences, whether national or individual, is the first aim of the ASIATIC JOURNAL; and amid the variety of items belonging to this department, Appointments, Births, Marriages, Deaths, &c. are regularly inserted, down to the latest dates received.

A second feature of this Journal, still more peculiar to itself, because still more incompatible with the plan of any other, is the insertion of the most faithful verbatim reports of Debates at the East-India House, taken in short-hand for these pages. To the value of these it must be needless to call the attention of any of those individuals who are personally engaged in British Indian affairs, or whose attention is awakened to them. This department of the work alone, it is confidently presumed, must at once entitle it to patronage.

New and interesting Information concerning the Countries and their Inhabitants with which the Progress of our Trade, our Unavoidable Wars, and our Political Transactions, are hourly bringing us more, or the first time, acquainted, forms a natural and inviting addition to the contents of these pages; while the precious and inexhaustible field of Oriental Literature presents itself as intimately allied to this branch of our pursuits. Connected also, with this consideration, is the British progress in Asiatic Languages and Learning, and the Institutions in England and India for their promotion.

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Under a Commercial aspect, it would be superfluous to call the attention of the reader to a work in which the Trade of India, China, and the Indian Dependencies, must always be an object of prominent regard.

The progress of Christian Missions in India (a pursuit so zealously engaged in at the present day) is also recorded in this work; while its pages are at the same time open to a liberal and candid discussion of the different opinions entertained upon that subject.

With contents thus various, and (it is ventured to be said) thus attractive, the first volume of the ASIATIC JOURNAL is now presented to the public. Encouraged by the warm approbation they have received, the Proprietors are proceeding cheerfully and zealously in their arrangements for its future progress, anxious to improve as they adIn the meantime, they take the liberty of concluding this preface to their first volume, with an earnest request in favour of their future labours—namely, that they may be honoured by the frequent correspondence of their friends both in England and in India.

vance.

Among the principal and particular features of the present volume may be mentioned the history of the late war in Candy, the history of the late war in Nipal, with various geographical descriptions belonging to that country; several articles on the geography, history and antiquities of Java and the Eastern Islands, and a highly interesting abstract of Dr. Ainslie's account of his mission to Japan. For what is produced on these latter topics, the ASIATIC JOURNAL is principally indebted to the active and intelligent pen of Mr. Raffles, Governor of the island of Java, and President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Batavia.

Among lighter articles may be particularized the Chinese tale of San-Yu-Low, translated by J. F. Davis, Esq. of the Hon. Company's China Establishment.

Upon subjects of science, the reader will not fail to distinguish Dr. Ainslie's important paper on the use of Balsam of Peru, in the cure of ulcers, and Dr. Horsefield's experiments and observations on the poisons of the Antshar and Tshettic, species of the vegetable poisons of Java.

THE

ASIATIC JOURNAL

FOR

JANUARY 1816.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

To the Editor of the Asiatic Journal.

SIR,-I am anxious to draw your earliest attention to a subject of the liveliest importance, not only to the great multitude of individuals concerned, but even, as I think, to some of the highest interests of the state. I refer to the late regulations concerning the conveyance of letters to and from India. At the time of my leaving Calcutta, public feeling was much excited at that place, by a view of the inevitable consequences of the new system; and considerable hopes were enter. tained of an early remedy through the means of the efforts known to have been already made in London. Your natural wish to render your publication, at every opportunity, serviceable to the interests of India and its connections at home, together with the near approach of the meeting of Parliament, lead me to hope that you will lose no time in contributing your aid to the removal of the evil complained of.

According to the notification of the Postmaster-General, of the 17th of September 1814, purporting to be founded on an Act of Parlia ment of the then late session, it is Asiatic Journ,-No. 1.

the existing practice, that from the 10th of October in the same year, letters going to and from India are withdrawn from the former channels of the East-India House and pri vate hands, and brought entirely within the cognizance of the Post Office; where a postage of sixpence a sheet, over and above the amount usually charged on its transmission inland, is to be paid. On letters intended to be sent from England to her Eastern possessions, a duty of one-third of the rates payable on the supposition of their being conveyed by regular packet-boats, is to be paid, before the post-mark is stamped upon them. They are then to be put into a bag, and delivered to persons authorized to forward them, according to their superscriptions, in private vessels. Severe penalties are to be levied on sending or carrying letters without the official post-mark; and the officers of His Majesty's Customs are required to search all ships for packets which may be found on board, contrary to the provisions of the Act.

From the foregoing statement it will be seen, that under the terms VOL. 1.

B

of the law, no letters of any description, not even one of introduction, can henceforth be carried to India, without previously paying a heavy tax. The hardship on the side of the subject, and the impolicy on that of the government, can need only to be described, in order to their being universally acknowledged.

Let us touch, for a moment, on the hardship,—it is not too much to say-the injustice to the subject. The postage, heretofore, levied on letters transmitted by the regular packets has never been objected to, because the public were satisfied, that the security and dispatch attendant on this mode of convey ance were amply repaid by what might then have been named the insurance-fee. But it is quite different in the present case; for, here, what, under the previous circumstances, was to be considered as a rate of postage, a payment for an equivalent service, becomes a direct tax on letter-writing, independent on the cost of carriage; a heavy amount is to be submitted to, without benefit in return; and a premium is in reality paid, without acquiring the advantage of insurance. Nay, the writer must be a loser by the change; for, when packets were transmitted from the India House, they were put into the hands of respectable persons, responsible for their delivery; whereas, according to the new provisions, the persons authorized to collect letters for transmission to India, may, as it seems, entrust any individual what ever with the charge of forwarding them to their places of destination. It is true, that persons opening bags are subject to severe penalties; but, without supposing any

culpability on the part of masters or mates of vessels, it must necessarily be supposed, that these latter, on the arrival of their respective vessels, will naturally attend first to their own concerns, and thus often neglect the early delivery of the bags in their care; and, further, that intimidated by the severity of the penalty attached to a transgression of the law, they will refuse to burden themselves with packets, the conveyance of small personal benefit.

The hardship of this additional postage, for which nothing is performed, is the more serious, as that which is really paid for service done must unavoidably remain as it was. The Company has been accustomed to levy a ship-postage for the voy. ages to and from India; the office of receiving, transmitting, and distributing the contents of all packets of ship-letters continues to be exercised by the servants of the Company abroad; no expectation, therefore, can be reasonably formed of a relinquishment of the ancient charge. The ancient charge is paid for doing the duty; and the new one for doing nothing.

Thus much, Sir, for the hardship and injustice inflicted by the recent regulations upon Indian correspon❤ dence generally; but, in separating the several sorts of correspondence, we shall see peculiar grounds of complaint attached to each. It is peculiarly hard, for example, upon the merchant, who, freighting his own vessel, cannot send, free of shippostage, in that vessel itself, his letters of advice to his agents, respecting the disposal of his merchandize; an evil so much the greater, as, from the length of the passage, and consequent increased

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